The journey to the City of the Forgotten began in a hush, as if the world itself held its breath.
Trees blurred past us like silent sentinels, the wind carrying whispers we couldn't understand—but somehow felt.
With every step deeper into the unknown, the earth beneath our feet seemed to hum with memory—of battles long faded, of souls who had walked this path before us.
Thick mist clung to our skin, veiling the land in a strange, otherworldly sheen. It felt like a liminal space—caught between the living and the dead.
Xander walked slightly ahead, ever alert. His crimson gaze flickered constantly, scanning the horizon for threats.
Dylan and Oregon kept pace beside me—one grounded in strength and sarcasm, the other radiating an old-soul stillness that calmed my racing heart.
Vlad moved with eerie grace at the rear, as though the shadows bent to accommodate him.
Somewhere along the path, a sudden awareness bloomed in me—like moonlight piercing dark clouds.
I looked around—at Dylan, Alpha of a pack once hidden from the world... at Vlad, one of the most feared vampires in existence, now walking beside a werewolf without drawing blood... at Oregon, whose elven lineage carried both light and legacy, tied to the very heart of nature itself.
And Xander, the one who had stood between shadow and salvation for as long as I'd known him.
They had all united—for me.
And it wasn't coincidence.
The realization rose slowly but surely, like dawn breaking over a long night.
Maybe this wasn't just fate.
Maybe I was always meant to be the one who could bring these immortals together—not by dominance, but by connection. Not by fear, but by something far rarer: trust.
"I think I'm starting to understand," I said aloud, more to myself than anyone else.
Xander turned slightly.
"Understand what?"
"That this... this journey we're on—it's more than a mission. It's proof. Of what I can become. Of what I already am."
Dylan raised an eyebrow.
"You're sounding very philosophical all of a sudden."
"Let her speak," Oregon said gently.
I glanced between them all, feeling something shift inside me.
"I've been given the vampire's mark. The Alpha's. The elven bond. Each one not only tested me—they shaped me. I'm not just being chosen. I'm choosing them too. And they're choosing each other."
Vlad gave a low hum, almost like approval, though his eyes revealed nothing.
"Perhaps that's what the Prime Apex was always meant to be," Oregon said softly. "Not only the most powerful—but the one who brings all powers together. The unifier."
A hush fell over us. Even the mist seemed to pause.
Then Vlad stepped forward.
"And now," he said, "only two marks remain."
I nodded. The last two:
The longest undead soul.
The human immortal.
It was said the longest undead soul resided deep within the City of the Forgotten—a place untouched by time. Not quite dead, not quite alive. Eternal. Elusive.
Human immortal? We'd figure that one out later.
The entrance to the city was not grand. No towering gates, no carved sigils. Just a broken arch, half-buried in the earth, wrapped in vines that glowed faintly in the moonlight. It was as though the city had tried to forget itself.
But as we stepped through… everything changed.
The mist peeled away like a curtain, revealing a city of glass and bone, flickering with candlelight that cast no shadows.
The buildings were tall and slender, shaped like forgotten dreams. Ghostly figures moved in the distance—souls of those who had once ruled, now suspended in eternal half-life.
And at the heart of it stood a great cathedral.
Its spires pierced the sky, and a single bell tolled—though no hand touched it.
We approached slowly, each step echoing in the silence. The doors swung open for us without a sound.
Inside, the temperature dropped. Not cold—just empty. Hollow.
And there, seated on a throne of obsidian and memory, was the figure we had come to find.
They did not appear old. Their face was ageless, neither man nor woman, cloaked in robes of starlight. Their eyes were voids—abysses without end.
"You've come for the mark," they said, their voice like a thousand whispers layered atop one another.
I stepped forward, heart thundering.
"Yes. I need it as one of the conditions to complete the awakening."
"No," the figure said.
"You don't need it. You already carry it."
I froze.
"What… what do you mean?"
The figure rose from their throne and descended the steps with inhuman grace. They reached out and touched my chest—right over my heart.
"The moment you brought vampire, wolf, and elf together… the moment you walked among the living and the dead and were claimed by both… the mark etched itself into your soul."
A pulse radiated through me like lightning.
"I… I'm already marked?"
They nodded.
"You were never meant to find the longest undead soul," the figure said, voice soft as wind through tombstones.
"You were meant to become it. The blood you carry, the soul inside you—it is an ancient soul. You are the longest undead soul."
Their words echoed through the vast cathedral like a revelation carved into stone.
"You mean… like I'm a reincarnation of the Prime Apex?"
Again, they nodded.
I was stunned.
"But to complete the mark, you need only offer me something," they continued, lifting their hand slightly.
"Something you've carried since the day you were born."
I hesitated for a heartbeat, then reached into the small zipped pocket of my jacket—the one place I'd always kept it, as Edee told me to.
My fingers closed around the familiar shape. I pulled it out slowly.
An old gemstone charm.
Faded by time, worn smooth at the edges. A piece of my forgotten past, now glowing in the flickering light as if it had waited for this very moment.
I placed it into the figure's outstretched hand.
Without another word, they turned and walked toward a small opening in the cathedral wall—a strange, circular hollow that shimmered faintly, like a portal made of memory and starlight.
The charm glowed brighter as they approached it.
Then they placed it inside.
What followed wasn't just an explosion—it was a release. Magic burst outward in a pulse of light and sound, like the city had drawn a breath after centuries of silence and finally exhaled.
The cathedral trembled. The stained glass windows shimmered. The entire city came alive, glowing with ancient power.
And within me… something awakened.
I dropped to one knee, overwhelmed. I closed my eyes for a moment, tried to get used to it, and adjusted.
Unknown memories flashed back and forth, but I managed to keep calm.
The others stood in stunned silence.
Then I looked up.
"So…" I asked, my voice low, uncertain, "does that mean the mark is complete?"
The figure gave a single, solemn nod.
"Yes. But now, one task remains—the final mission."
They paused, eyes like voids locking onto mine.
"And it will be your hardest yet."